his black robes of mourning; but Emelia was
dressed in white, as she had been on the May morning in the garden
years before. She had ceased to mourn for Arcite, and was Emelia the
Radiant once more.

Palamon caught his breath. He had not seen her since they parted after
Arcite's death.

Duke Theseus said, "Sister, I desire thee now to take the noble knight
Palamon to be thy husband. Have pity on his long service, and accept
him."

Then he said to Palamon, "It will not need much speech to gain thy
consent! Come, take thy lady by the hand."

Then, in the presence of all the court, they were wed. When all was
over, Emelia fled from the noise and tumult of the hall, and beckoned
to Palamon to follow. Out at the great hall doors she led him, and
down the pathway to the garden beneath the tower. When he joined her,
she pointed to the dungeon window, and told him of the day when she
had looked at the prison in the morning mist, and murmured to herself
the names of the captive princes, "Palamon and Arcite, Palamon and
Arcite."

But it was not till many years of joyous life had passed over their
home that Palamon told Emelia that he had seen her first on that very
morning when she had thought so sadly of his misery.

III

GRISELDA

Once upon a time there lived a fair young girl whose name was
Griselda. Her home was in an Italian village. There she dwelt in a
lowly cottage with her father, Janicola. He was too old and weak to
work for her, or even for himself.

All round the village lay the fruitful fields and vineyards of the
plain, and on the slopes near grew olive-trees laden with fruit. Far
in the distance rose the snow-capped mountains of the North.

Even in so rich a land it was not easy for this young Griselda to make
her father's life as pleasant as she would have wished it to be. She
lived plainly and barely. She was busy all day long. Now she was
herding a few sheep on the broken ground near the village, and
spinning as she watched her flock. Again she fetched the water from
the well or gathered roots and herbs from which to make drugs.

Griselda was not unhappy though her life was hard, because she was so
glad that she could serve her father and show her love to him,
forgetting about herself and her own wishes.

One day as she sat watching her sheep her eyes fell on the white
towers of a castle that stood not far from the village where she
lived. It was the castle of the Marquis Walter, who was